Vargas soft coral

[Chad]

Am I right in guessing that the Vargas soft coral is an Anthelia sp.?

 

If not my second and third guesses would be perhaps a Briarium sp. or a Tubipora sp. (although if I could see the base better, this would be either confirmed/striked down as an option). It certainly doesnt have the growth form for any azoo corals I know off hand.

 

Thoughts?

[ctenophore]

efflatounaria is my guess.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=eK4&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&resnum=0&q=efflatounaria&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=GWfrS8q1LIH_8AbjsuW3BA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQsAQwAw

 

it is a Xeniid as far as I know.

 

I got a copy of that Soft Corals book by AIMS, I will look it up.

[Chad]

I guess I was deterred by the "not a xenia" comment... both your guess and Bob's (lanman's) guess seem to be better than mine

[BowieReefer84]

Sanjay's rare Purple Efflatounaria $25 a stalk , 2 sold.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/lazibonez/purplexenia1-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/57682-lazis-2009-swap-list.html&usg=__XZALETdcWkBEX87KHyRk5UvYl-A=&h=612&w=666&sz=100&hl=en&start=5&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=GKpVtsEii-8G0M:&tbnh=127&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3Defflatounaria%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DOhj%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1

 

near the bottom of the page . . . .settled. haha

[gmubeach]

How many stalks is the auction for?

[Chad]

Not sure. Since it is for WAMAS, not sure it really matters

 

Per EB, here are the care requirements (paraphrased of course and assuming efflatounaria which looks like a good guess):

 

"Seem to grow best when receiving some surge and current and clear ocean water. Quite photoadaptive. In nature, these corals seem to prefer moderate to strong currents. Some species considered toxic. Colonies cannot always tolerate extensive damage."

[gmubeach]

Well whoever wins it should frag it after a while and get their money back!

[Jan]

They're all family Xeniid.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-02/ac/feature/index.php"Other, much less common Xeniids do appear in the hobby on occasion. Treasures such as Efflatounaria may go unnoticed or mistaken for another coral. Without pulsatory function, some morphs of Efflatounaria bear a gross resemblance to the common "Colt coral," formerly Cladiella and Alcyonium and now assigned to the genus Klyxum. They are unique Xeniids that are generally "furry-fingered" and branching in form. Colors range with attractive varieties observed in yellow, blue-green and some simply brown hued. Savvy aquarists in aquarium clubs have spotted and actively propagated these gems. If the aquarist is fortunate enough to come across such special corals, be sure to actively fragment and share divisions."

 

 

 

[Chad]

How is that Efflatounaria doing for you, Tom?

[Origami]

It's at the bottom of my frag tank in a light to moderate flow area and looking good. It had lost color (perhaps as a result of shipping stress) when compared to the photo, but looked like it was beginning to show some contrast between the stalks and the polyps as of last night. So far, so good. I'm watching it daily for signs of growth but, as they say, a watched pot never boils. Or, in this case, "staring at a coral does not help it grow."

[Chad]

^haha, I was under the impression that if you watched closely enough, it would grow before your eyes!!! Glad to hear it is doing well!

[Chad]

How is that coral doing for you, Tom?

 

 

[Origami]

The Efflatounaria has gotten large but, unlike other corals that it looks like, it doesn't propagate the same way. It puts out a foot (as I've heard), apparently, and extends a small bit at a time. I have a piece of Cespitularia that was given to me by Justin (through Craig) that's in the same tank. While outwardly similar, the propagation mechanism is definitely much different. The Cespitularia puts out what looks like a long, thin runner with polyps all along the length. The Efflatounaria, as I implied, does not do this. The color on the Efflatounaria is not as blue as I would like, but this is probably because I need to move it up higher. I exchanged some emails with Sanjay Joshi over at Penn State several months back. He received a piece from Tony Vargas also, but much earlier. Sanjay sold off some frags to friends over at Manhattan Reef, but his colony failed when he had problems with nitrates. It was Sanjay that underscored the high lighting that seemed to be needed to have it "blue up." I just haven't gotten around to it (even after all this time). It's more of a peach color right now, with a hint of blue. You can see the potential, though.

 

It's still in my frag tank which I'm planning on switching out in the next few weeks. The new (NAGA-built) tank will be shallower and broader, and (I hope) more organized. Once I have the new tank up and running, I think it will see more light and we'll see how it does color-wise. I may even, at that time, begin to frag it. Don't worry, you'll be the first I offer a piece to!

[Chad]

 

haha, I am honestly not worried about it (although, I wouldn't turn the opportunity of a frag down ). For some strange reason, I thought about the coral this morning, so I dug up the old thread to ask about it

 

Glad to hear that it is doing well for you, though!

[ctenophore]

I'd love to see how it does in the sunlight once the days get longer